Tackling the housing crisis one apprentice at a time by investing in our Rising Stars

The Federation of Master Builders (FMB) is putting pressure on the Government to create millions of apprenticeships in order to solve the housing crisis.

With the new Government’s plans to build 200,000 Starter Homes over the next five years, there is an opportunity to invest in the workers of the future through apprenticeships and employer-led training.

It is apparent that there has been a skills shortage in the construction industry for some time now. The latest research from the FMB shows that 50% of small local builders are struggling to hire skilled workers, in particular bricklayers. Last year, the shortage of suitably skilled staff led to wages for bricklayers doubling and a dramatic rise in foreign workers.

In order to meet the new housing target proposed by the Conservatives for 200,000 starter homes within the next five years something definitely needs to be done to tackle the skills shortage within the building industry.

It looks as though the new government have already thought of this and plan to create three million apprenticeships over the next five years.

The FMB are in favour of the announcement in the Queen’s speech last week and commented “The new Government is right to bring forward legislation on both apprenticeships and housing as one cannot succeed without the other”.

We know our customers already have a vested interest in developing new skills and opportunities to help build the communities of the future. Which is why we have built in a dedicated award category the ‘Rising Star’ to honour this talent, at our annual award celebration The Bricks.

If you would like to nominate a member of your team for the Rising Star award check they meet the following criteria and simply fill in and submit our nomination form.

Who is eligible for the Rising Star award?

An employee who is an apprentice or graduate, or on a training scheme that has made a positive impact on your business.

Who won our Rising Star Award last year?

Daniel O’Leary a bricklaying apprentice from Southdale Limited was our first Rising Star award winner at The Bricks last year. We caught up with him straight after he won to see what he thought of his award.

Tackling the housing crisis one apprentice at a time by investing in our Rising Stars

The Federation of Master Builders (FMB) is putting pressure on the Government to create millions of apprenticeships in order to solve the housing crisis.

With the new Government’s plans to build 200,000 Starter Homes over the next five years, there is an opportunity to invest in the workers of the future through apprenticeships and employer-led training.

It is apparent that there has been a skills shortage in the construction industry for some time now. The latest research from the FMB shows that 50% of small local builders are struggling to hire skilled workers, in particular bricklayers. Last year, the shortage of suitably skilled staff led to wages for bricklayers doubling and a dramatic rise in foreign workers.

In order to meet the new housing target proposed by the Conservatives for 200,000 starter homes within the next five years something definitely needs to be done to tackle the skills shortage within the building industry.

It looks as though the new government have already thought of this and plan to create three million apprenticeships over the next five years.

The FMB are in favour of the announcement in the Queen’s speech last week and commented “The new Government is right to bring forward legislation on both apprenticeships and housing as one cannot succeed without the other”.

We know our customers already have a vested interest in developing new skills and opportunities to help build the communities of the future. Which is why we have built in a dedicated award category the ‘Rising Star’ to honour this talent, at our annual award celebration The Bricks.

If you would like to nominate a member of your team for the Rising Star award check they meet the following criteria and simply fill in and submit our nomination form.

Who is eligible for the Rising Star award?

An employee who is an apprentice or graduate, or on a training scheme that has made a positive impact on your business.

Who won our Rising Star Award last year?

Daniel O’Leary a bricklaying apprentice from Southdale Limited was our first Rising Star award winner at The Bricks last year. We caught up with him straight after he won to see what he thought of his award.